If you currently know of or have known of an employee that needs drug and alcohol treatment, it is likely that you are frustrated. As an employer, dealing with employee drug or alcohol abuse seems troublesome, and firing that employee altogether seems as if it is the best choice for the company. But that choice may be wrong, and here's why.

Physicians who treat opioid addiction also have the option of utilizing "medication-assisted treatment," and the most common medications used in the treatment of opioid dependence today are methadone, naltrexone, and buprenorphine (Suboxone). Medication-assisted treatment options benefit patients in staying sober while reducing the side effects of withdrawal and curbing cravings.

A person is said to have physical opioid dependence if they have high 'tolerance' of opioids, meaning they need more of the opioid to get the desired effect. Most patients who seek treatment for opioid addiction also have some degree of physical dependence and need assistance while going through opioid withdrawal.

The term opioid refers to any drug or chemical that attaches (like a key fits into a lock) to sites in the brain called opioid receptors. The human body makes its own opioids (called endorphins) but the opioids we are concerned with when we talk about opioid addiction are those that are manufactured in a laboratory or made by plants. When a person becomes dependent upon these drugs, they need opioid addiction treatment.